


Claw Through the Hell to Your Side

by snowynight



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Badass in Distress, Captivity, Escape, Gen, Loyalty, Non-Consensual Groping, Presumed Dead, Rescue, Sexual Harassment, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Threats of sexual slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-05 08:45:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11574552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowynight/pseuds/snowynight
Summary: An alien with design for Jim kidnaps him and fakes his death to keep him as a pet. Grieving for Jim's seeming death, Spock investigates the truth behind Jim's demise so that he would find out the one responsible while Jim is determined to escape and teturn to the Enterprise.





	Claw Through the Hell to Your Side

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my cheerleader darthneko! This won't be done without her encouragement and suggestions!

_“Stay away, Spock!” Jim shouted while trying to get through the blocked passage. “The roof is falling!”_

_Ignoring Jim’s warning, Spock ran towards Jim. He must get to Jim. He must save him._

_"Think of our ship---”_

_The wall collapsed. The roof crumbled. The entire house dropped like children’s blocks._

_Jim was still inside._

_“Jim!”_

* * *

“We are sorry, but we can’t find a life sign under the debris,” The local officer Zarkov said, avoiding Spock’s eyes. “It took us much time to put out the fire that broke out afterwards before we could approached it. We’ll keep digging, but I must tell you that I don’t expect to find anyone surviving down there.”

“The Enterprise will lend assistance to the rescue effort,” Spock replied, his heart a leaden weight in his abdomen.

_Jim, gone._

_How can it happen?_

After calling down a security team, Spock climbed over the debris to scan over them, looking for any signs of hope. His tricorder detected a residue of energy pattern, but when he unearth the debris ahead one by one, he found nothing.

* * *

Spock insisted on being there when the debris was completely removed. A small furry animal moaned painfully at the ruin of the housing compound, but Spock paid no attention to it.

There was no Jim under the debris.

One of the security team members, Ensign Dorff found a torn bloodied fabric of Jim’s shirt and handed it to Spock.

Spock's fists tightened around it so hard that they hurt, but he kept his face impassive.

“Do you find Captain Kirk’s body?” Spock was proud of how calm his voice sounded.

“No, sir,” Ensign Dorff’s voice wavered in her report.

“Any remains?”

Ensign Dorff looked down at the ground. “No, sir.”

“Any theory for this?”

“The house was now an entire pile of rock and trash. The captain's body may… be totally… crushed and destroyed in the fire.”

“Very well. Your team will coordinate with Officer Zarkov in the rescue effort. Report to her as soon as possible.”

“Yes, sir,” they said, but their tensed eyes and dry voices informed Spock of their dissatisfaction with Spock's response.

It was a 87.57% possibility that they were disappointed of Spock's lack of visible emotional response to Jim’s… state.

Only Jim understood the powerful emotion underneath Spock's calm exterior. Only Jim accepted the half human and half Vulcan sides of Spock.

Jim was gone, and no one else would see what was reserved for him alone **.**

Spock examined the ruin carefully, trying to analyze the cause of the collapse. It happened too fast, too convenient and what if ---

_Is it really an accident?_

Looking at his tricorder, Spock noticed an unusual energy reading from the site and decided to check it over with the ship’s computer. If Jim’s death was a murder, Spock would ensure the killer to pay for their crime.

* * *

_Falling debris. “Stay away! Think of our ship!”_

_Pain, so much pain..._

Waking up with a dull headache, Jim knew something was wrong before opening his eyes.

The place he was in smelt of sweet vanilla instead of antiseptic, and the mattress he lied on was as soft as marshmallow. The usual mechanical sound in the sickbay was replaced by slow strange music.

He remained very still and opened his eyes, confronted by a colourful tapestry with concentric circles. A tiny woman watched over him with a tray of food in her hand.

“Where am I? Who are you?” Jim asked in a cracked voice. He must have spent at least a day unconscious.

The woman opened her mouth, but her tongue was cut out, leaving a small stump in their mouths.

He took a thick white skinned orange-flavored fruit from the offered tray. It was possible that the food and water were drugged, so he chose the safer options to maintain his strength.

The room holding Jim had no windows, so Jim could only measure the passing of time from the number of time food and water was delivered. Every servant had their tongues cut off.

 _Who’s so cruel to silence them permanently?_ Jim thought.

The door was opened again. A tall jade skin coloured man walked in, wearing a belt of phasers and sharp knives. His clothing was simple but more well made than the other servants. The man lifted the tip of his lips. “My lord requests your presence. Please follow me.”

He must be more than a mere servant if he can still speak, Jim noticed. “I’m Captain Kirk of Starfleet, and I demand release at once. It ‘s a serious offense to hold a Starfleet officer as hostage. Who is the lord you’re talking about, and where am I?”

“You will find answers easier if you follow,” the man replied with one hand on his holster on the belt, ignoring Jim’s warning.

If he wanted to escape, he had to at least leave this room, so Jim nodded. “Lead me to your lord.”

“This way,” the man said.

The corridor they passed through were richly decorated with paintings of a variety of trees, among which Jim identified were local species on Pobrarvis, including Siuvis with its distinctive purple leaves that rolled up to stimuli to trap insects inside.

 _Is he still on Pobrarvis?_ Jim wondered. _Or is his captor connected to Pobrarvis?_

When the servants passed through corridors, they lowered their eyes and avoided the man leading Jim. “How should I call you?” Jim asked. It was worth a shot to get through to the enemy.

The man raised an eyebrow, which reminded Jim of Spock. “Titherich, though I advise that it is unnecessary for you to concern about me. It is in your best interest to amuse my lord, as your life and welfare completely depend on him from now on.”

 _Never_ , Jim thought.

”Welcome to my castle, Sleeping Beauty,” a stone skin coloured giant said In a baritone while towering over him from the end of the bed. “Lord Alberich presented here. It is fortunate for us to make acquaintance, Captain Kirk.”

“Why do you bring me here? Where is my ship?” Jim asked.

Alberich laughed, his whole body shaking. “Your ship has abandoned you to stars far away. Your will now stay as my most treasured collectible. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.”

“You’re lying. Release me, as kidnapping a Starfleet officer is a serious offense.”

Alberich caught Jim’s right ankle before Jim could put his feet away. His grip was so strong that Jim bit his lip from the pain. “Everyone think you’re dead. Your crew has moved on, and I doubt if Starfleet will look for a ghost.”

He pressed a button on the panel ahead of him. It showed the local news channel, where a grim reporter said, “The fire that broke out yesterday claimed numerous lives, including the famous Captain Kirk as one of the victim…”

Alberich shut off the screen. “You’re dead to the world in every aspect. Don’t expect anyone to search for a dead person.”

Jim stiffened his lips, trying to hide his worry. The building collapse that had trapped him was so serious that it was possible that everyone presumed him to be dead. If so, he would need to escape by himself as the Enterprise moved on to another sector for its scheduled missions.

 _I can do it_ , Jim told himself. He wondered how his friends and the crew were. Spock would take care of the ship as well as Jim did, but did he get the support he deserve? More importantly, would Spock ask for help before driving himself to collapse?

_I will return to my ship, even if I need to claw my way to it._

* * *

 

Spock checked up the status the yeoman sent to him on the bridge. The crew on the bridge worked efficiently, but remained quiet and subdued. The temperature control functioned properly, but he still felt a sense of chill.

Jim was gone, bringing the warmth and light with him.

The Enterprise had a week to leave Pobrarvis for its next mission, so when Spock was off shift, he used the limited time to secretly investigate the incident that led to Jim’s… demise.

With some unorthodox method, He accessed the local police force and fire service’s report and witness testimony, as well as news reports, and found a lot of highly irregular omission. Either the law officers were asking wrong question, or they were told not to dig into the event.

It could be a case of complacency and eagerness to close off the case, but this only deepened Spock’s suspicion that it happened deliberately. If so, who was behind it? The local people, the Klingons, the Romulans or other unknown parties? As the Starfleet’s flagship captain, too many parties had interest in his death.

At the end of his shift, Doctor McCoy ambushed him and demanded his presence in the sickbay. His agitated behavior convinced Spock that it would be more effective to comply than presenting an argument that his presence was required otherwise.

A small voice that sounded like Jim said, _Diplomatic_.

 _Logical_ , Spock replied mentally while acknowledging the illogic of doing so.

* * *

 

”How’re you holding up? ” the doctor asked in a dull voice, his red rimmed eyes staring distantly.

“Sufficient to handle my duty.”

Spock never sought command, but he would care for Jim’s ship at his best ability to honour Jim’s trust in him, even though it was only cold steel to him now.

“Of course, but how about your feeling? I was there when we thought we lost Jim in the past, and I know it was not a pretty sight. ” The doctor gulped the wine in his glass **.** “Funny, for all the way space tried to kill us, I had never expected a collapsed roof to end Jim.”

“As a Vulcan, I meditate to maintain my mental equilibrium. I am also a Starfleet officer trained to perform my duty in any circumstance.”

“Bullshit,” the doctor glared at him. “How much time have you actually spent on meditation instead of prowling the ship since Jim’s death? I check the replicator record and it shows that you barely eat any.

“Vulcans require less food and sleep than humans. It is unwise to judge my command fitness based on human standard.”

“You-” the doctor stopped and stood suddenly. “Of course as a CMO I need to judge whether you’re fit for command, but I’m not here as your CMO. I know we rarely see eyes to eyes, but I do worry about you. Do you know how I still expect turning into Jim---”

The doctor’s shoulders slumped. “Let me ask again as a friend to a friend. How’re you holding up?”

“Adequately.” Despite the warmth Spock felt from the doctor’s concern, it was the most he was willing to - and could give.

The doctor sighed. “You’ll only give me that, all right? I know no one can replace Jim, but if you need someone to talk to, I have a bottle of scotch at the sickbay reserved for you.”

“I must supervise an experiment in Lab 5, but I will think of your offer after my shift.”

* * *

 

Smiling lazily, Alberich forced a handcuffed Jim onto his lap and said, “I know you’re bored so I prepared a show for you. Titherich, bring in 1450 here.”

“Yes, my lord,” Titherich said before withdrawing from the room.

Alberich pressed his hands against Jim’s thighs and smiled at him. “You look so pretty like this, all bounded and still. Don’t you like the handcuff? I have it ordered for you so that it could match your skin colour.”

“Unhand me,” Jim said, goosebumps growing over his skin. He bit his lips at the sharp pain as Alberich moved his hand closer to Jim’s groin and squeezed hard.

“While I am a patient man, you may rethink your approach to play hard to get.” Alberich jerked his head at the approaching Titherich dragging a man who looked like a bag of bone across the floor.

“Forgive me… have mercy,” the man creaked out the words, his bony arms trembling. He might have once been an attractive man, but with his scarred face and body, flaky skin, stick-like limb and swollen legs, he looked like only a few steps to death.

“I picked him as my last pet, but he taxed my patience to my limit and mistakenly believed that he was better than what he actually was,” Alberich said with a gentle smile. “So I put him on a wooden horse for my people’s amusement. He’s not so proud now that he can only crawl on the dirt .”

Alberich talked in Jim’s ears, catching Jim’s shoulders to prevent him from shifting away. “I think you’re smart enough to learn a lesson, do you?”

Jim remained quiet, refusing to give him satisfaction.

Turning to Titherich, Alberich said, “Deal with this.”

“Yes, my lord,” Titherich replied, getting his knuckle knife from his belt and stabbed right in the man. Blood shot out the man’s neck, splattering on Titherich’s face, which remained impassive.

Alberich smiled and brushed Jim’s hair during the entire time the man went still.

Jim stared at the body, turning his head away and felt bile in his throat. _What kind of monsters will treat a fellow being like this?_

 _I must get out and bring these men to justice_ , Jim swore to himself.

* * *

 

Jim stared at the clothing item Titherich brought with him.

It was too generous to speak of it as an outfit. The top consisted of two pieces of peach coloured cloth with jade sewn on it, and the bottom was a small piece of cloth barely concealing anything.

“It will make my task easier if you cooperate. I know of ways of hurting someone without breaking their skin if you resist,” Titherich said.

“Why are you loyal to him? What do you see in him? ” Jim asked, half curious, half exploring the enemy's weakness.

“My lord owns me and I live to serve,” Titherich replied. “Please get into it to be ready for dinner.”

Jim stared at the clothing, his lips tightening into a thin line. Then he pulled off the robe he wore.

“Mind giving me some privacy?”

Titherich turned his back towards him.

Jim calculated the chance of success of an ambush from the back, but found that the odd was against him.

He breathed deeply and put on the thing. Cold air touched his exposed skin, making it more real, but Jim told himself that it was nothing. He would endure the ordeal to return to his ship.

* * *

At the dinner, Alberich held Jim on his lap with a iron grip, feeding him small purple grapes and pineberries.

Jim squirmed, feeling the uncomfortable heat from Alberich’s body and the pain brought by his grip - he would have bruise tomorrow.

The crowd appraised him like a piece of meat, talking about his asset and asked where Alberich got him from so they could buy something similar. Jim felt heat rising to his face.

Alberich laughed. “He’s one of his kind.”

“Of course,” the lady in a red dress said. “You always have an exquisite taste. Have you thought of hormone treatment for your pet to enhance his look? He already has a soft face. May as well go further. My pet has undergone the treatment, and now he’s as sweet as a puppy. So much easier to manage. Do you want a recommendation? I can suggest you several good doctors. ”

Alberich looked into Jim as he replied. “Maybe later. I’m amused by his bite right now, but thanks for your offer. I may consider it later.”

“Sure, remember to give me a call.”

Alberich brushed Jim’s hair. “What do you think, my little pet?”

Jim remained his silence to avoid giving any ins to him.

Alberich laughed. “I like a little spirit in my pets. Make them sweeter to tame.”

Jim remained his silence as he came up with a plan.

* * *

 

By listening to the sound level from the outside, Jim observed that there were less people in the corridor around these hours. From the time Alberich has him dragged across the mansion for his amusement, he had a rough idea of the house’s blueprint so he picked the lock with a stolen hairpin and started his escape.

He sneaked into the corridor, avoiding the servants and guards and looked for the servant’s backdoor.

“Freeze.”

The light was suddenly turned so bright that Jim couldn’t see anything. When his vision returned Titherich and several armed guards surrounded him.

The odds were against him, so he surrendered without a fight.

Alberich looked amused seeing Jim bounded and gagged, forced to kneel before him. “What a night of excitement you have brought me!”

Jim remained his silence.

“I told Titherich to stay put for awhile. Isn’t it more fun to catch the prey just before its escape?” Alberich said, turning to the silent Titherich.

“You are wise, Master.”

“Of course I am,” Alberich laughed so hard that he held his stomach. “While I still find you amusing enough to tolerate the inconvenience you cause me, I think you need a reminder that I’m a busy man of little patience.”

“Bring him to his cell and teach him a lesson,” Alberich said.

If he had ever escape here, Jim thought, he would delete every rock and roll music from the ship’s database.

Titherich kept him bound and gagged in a completely dark room. Breathless and in pain, Jim suffered through loud, disruptive and overwhelming music for such a long time that he banged his head against the wall hard enough to bleed.

“I hope you’ve learned your lesson,” he said to Jim.

Tasting his own blood, Jim thought: _Never._

* * *

The woman servant Jim met on the first day came to his service again, staring at his tray of food with haunted eyes so Jim pushed half of his food to her side and handed her a fork.

The woman’s eyes widened and remained completely still, so Jim walked to a corner with his back to her and waited until he heard the door closed.

Jim began to share his food with the silent servants, smiling and thanking them for their service, making sure to make their jobs easier for them. In turn some of the stiffness left their shoulders when they came.

Alberich was parading him out like a doll at another party, the fruity smell of wine filling his breath. He knocked his big fingers on the table hard enough that his wine split from his glass and laughed at his own jokes.

The servants made themselves as small as possible, walking stiffly and quickly, as Alberich had demonstrated his temper in the previous party, knocking a heavy metal goblet on a servant's head hard enough that the servant fell on the floor, surrounded by a puddle of his own blood.

Jim never saw the servant again.

“I should have checked over them. Lazy, ungrateful, greedy…” Alberich struggled to stand.

Goosebumps grew on Jim’s arms, but he swallowed his discomfort and caught the arm around his waist.

“The night’s still young,” Jim lowered his voice, swallowing the bile in his throat. Alberich’s checking out often resulted in bleeding and beaten servants. “Stay with me?”

Alberich laughed and forced a kiss on Jim, but he stayed away from the servants for now.

The next time Jim thought the servants looked more relaxed around him. Jim wondered he could solicit help or at least non-interference from them in the future.

His current mission prerogative was to return to his duty, so he would do everything for that.

* * *

After investigation, Spock listed the evidence for the situation surrounding the collapse and the fire that pointed to a conspiracy.

The collapse happened too fast and convenient, just after Jim had gone in to rescue the people trapped inside. The fire was also suspiciously well timed to remove any evidence that might indicate foul play.

The unusual energy signature that he found on the ruin.

Nothing of Jim’s body was ever found.

The local authorities’ reluctance in investigation.

A small voice inside Spock whispered his last reason: _Jim should have the very best for his end, to be surrounded by people he loved and was loved in return, instead of languishing on an alien planet_

He could almost see Jim leaning over his shoulders and asked with a smile, “Trusting your intuition, Mr. Spock?”

“There is no need to be insulting, Captain,” Spock whispered back.

* * *

 

Besides logic, Vulcans believe in the importance of information. While Spock’s relationship with Sarek remained tense, he could still pull a lot of strings as both an ambassador's son and a member of the most prominent family on Vulcan. Spock managed to persuade the command that the Enterprise was more useful remaining in this sector, which conveniently aided his investigation.

Tapping into the local underground information network through the help of an acquaintance of a family associate, Spock inhaled spicy alcohol and the sharp odur of sex in a seedy bar, exchanging credits with people not existed in any official record for information, following a lead to a near death trap that he only escaped with makeshift explosives, staring down people who crushed necks as their daily jobs.

Most of the leads were fake, fraud or useless, until a woman reached out for him claiming that she had what he wanted.

* * *

 

Following sources, Spock met this woman who claimed to have something of important to show him. He had followed a lot of fake trails and dead ends, and this might be another, but he was determined for any hints about Jim’s current state.

“I have some valuable intels. How much can you pay me?”

“Why should I consider your proposal?” Spock asked.

“Because of this,” the woman said, showing him a photo. “I think you ‘ll find it interesting.”

It was a photo of Jim with a hardened face, thinner than the last time Spock saw him. Despite his revealing clothing and that he sat on a man’s lap, Jim still exuded dignity and a strength of will.

The date on the photo showed that it was taken ten days after the fire.

Spock kept his voice flat. “How can you prove the photo is real, instead of another photo manipulation?.”

“It may be fake, but can you afford to doubt me?” the woman asked with a smile, quoting a huge sum of money in return.

Fifteen minutes later the woman left a happy rich person, but Spock only cared about one thing.

If Jim was alive, he needed his help.

* * *

 

Spock checked over the photo with the ship's main computer for any evidence of manipulation, and the result was negative.

He magnified the photo to five times its size for any clue of the location it was taken. The faces of the people there were unclear, but his analysis of their facial features strongly suggested them to be Pobrarvis origin, another support for the theory that Jim’s kidnapper was in this planet.

Spock scanned the photo pixel by pixel, making a list of people's clothing style, household items, artwork, interior design, and anything that could be possible leads from the photo and started his research.

With meticulous analysis, Spock was confident enough to reveal the result to the rest of the crew.

* * *

 

“As evidence indicates that Captain Kirk’s alive but in captivity in Pobrarvis, we will plan for a rescue.” Spock announced.

“Are you sure?” McCoy asked with a trembling voice. “Jim… really alive?”

“If the captain’s alive, then all the time-” Sulu stopped in the middle of his sentence.

There was a loaded weight of quietness in the briefing room. Spock could sense their anxiety, hope, doubt, and… guilt battering his shield.

“Can we afford not to believe?” Uhura asked.

* * *

 

After his foiled escape plan, Jim decided that his priority would be to inform the Starfleet of his abduction and requested for escape. He had noticed the advanced technology in Alberich’s home underneath the decadent exteriors, so he looked carefully to look for store rooms that contained useful machines or devices..

Carefully avoiding the patrol. Jim sneaked to a room where broken equipments were kept temporarily before disposal. With luck he would find enough useful components to build a communicator.

Then Jim stood face to face with a familiar servant.

Jim stared at the servant. It was so close to get what he wanted, but now he was about to be busted.

The servant treated him as if he didn’t exist. She finished sweeping the floor and left, leaving the door open.

 _Thank you_ , Jim thought and used the limited time to look for anything useful.

He found several heavily damaged long range communicators that were no longer usable, but Jim salvaged useful parts from them with his stolen screwdriver. He also found a wooden picture frame and solar cells removed from a heavy machine to build a solar panel. Knowing that it might be the last chance for him to come here, he took everything that he could carry with him without arousing suspicion.

It was a longshot, but Jim got lucky and found enough spare parts and disposed components to build a long distance communication device.

At least he had better tools than stone knives and bearskins to construct the device for planetary communication, Jim thought. When he was building the circuit, he almost saw Spock looking over his shoulders with amusement, making useful suggestion and dry comments as Jim worked on the project. A wave of homesickness nearly overwhelmed Jim when he remembered his friend. New York in 1930s was harsh and cruel, but at least they had each other to lean on.

 _It is illogical to dwell in what might have been and what we wish_ , an inner voice that sounded exactly like Spock said, _Acknowledge the reality and proceed with the best course of action._

_Reprimand acknowledged, Mr. Spock._

It took time, patience and subterfuge to acquire materials and hid it under Alberich and Titherich’s watchful eyes, but Jim kept working on the device in secret until he was certain that it should do its job.

Now he needed to put it to a real test.

Jim checked the wire configuration of the transmitting device to make sure everything was in order. He would only have one chance to send signal to the Enterprise before Alberich catching on what he was doing, and he must make it right.

It was a gamble, as the Enterprise should have left this planet’s communication range ten days ago according to the original schedule, but based on what he knew about Spock and his crew, they would not have given up on him by now. Besides, as this planet was part of a busy travel route, someone might relay the message back to Starfleet.

He forced himself to relax his tightened fingers when he pressed the button

“This is Captain Kirk of Starfleet Enterprise speaking, queen to king’s level one.” he whispered, letting the device convert the audio signal into burst in the format of morse code, adding his estimate of his current location.

With a sun powered panel, theoretically the device would repeat sending the message to space infinitely to reach out to the Enterprise or other Starfleet ships. Now Jim had to be patient and waited.

* * *

 

”Mr. Spock, the sensor picked up a regular radio signal from the planet surface. The message said… The sender claimed to be … Captain Kirk, and it contains his command code.” Uhura reported with a barely trembling voice.

“How… Captain Kirk alive?” Chekov gasped as his fingers stopped mid-stride in the air.

Spock held tight to the handle of the chair. “Locate the source and do a sensor scan. Find out as much information as possible. If the signal is authentic, the rescue effort must start as soon as possible.”

“Yes, Captain.” The bridge crew worked in their usual high efficiency, with a long missing spring in their words and action.

_If Jim was alive..._

Spock would do everything to bring his captain and friend home.

* * *

 

With frantic joint effort from Spock, Scotty and Uhura, the coordinate of the signal source was narrowed down to an artificial island 112 metres to the west of the site the fire that took Jim away broke out. The accessible local records were vague in information about its current owner and current residents.

Spock assembled a security team to infiltrate the island, willing to risk the consequence of bypassing the local authorities. He forced himself to walk steadily to the transporter room, his mind full of all possible scenarios.

It might be a prank. It might be a trap. It might be…

“Are you sure you can find Jim there?” McCoy asked as he came into the room unannounced.

“It is worth an investigation whatever the sender’s actual identity is as he possess knowledge of military secret.”

“This doesn’t answer my question.”

“It is impossible to be certain considering the limited information, but your presence will be required if the captain is retrieved.”

“Is it the best answer you can give?” McCoy sighed. “I will be on standby. The universe knows the ordeal he may go through in those guys’ hands.”

“I trust you to provide the best medical help you can give,” Spock said, stepping up to the pad with his team.

McCoy said, “Make them pay,”

“I will.”

* * *

 

Jim’s heart almost stop when Alberich showed him the remains of his communicating device.

“Do you think you can escape? ”

Alberich’s smirk changed to disbelief when the door burst open and Jim heard a voice he had thought he would never have heard again.

“We’re from Starfleet. You are arrested on charge of kidnapping of a Starfleet Officer. Surrender your weapons.”

Jim had never seen a more beautiful sight than Spock charging into the room holding a phaser, followed by a fully armed security team.

”Titherich! ” Alberich shouted. “Press the button!”

“Yes, my lord,” Titherich replied.

Jim threw a nearby vase at him to stop him from initiating the sophisticated defense system he boasted about before, but the vase missed its target. However, instead of pressing the button, Titherich raised his phaser and shot Alberich in his chest.

Alberich fell with eyes still open, but Titherich caught him with one arm before Alberich dropping to the ground.

“Why?” Jim asked. He had witnessed Titherich’s loyalty to Alberich so he could not believe that he would kill him.

Titherich brought Alberich into his arms and brushed gently away the lock of hair on the still face. “It's the best way. Starfleet would have hunted him forever if he had killed you all. My lord would never tolerate captivity nor a life of fugitive.”

“Is it worth it?” Jim asked.

Titherich smiled. “I have chosen my path since my lord picked me up from the street. It is my destiny to be at his side as always. You should go, as your ship and people are waiting for you.”

“But-” Jim’s words were interrupted when Titherich raised his phaser to his head and shot himself before anyone could stop him.

The security team members checked over their bodies. “They're dead, Captain.”

“It's over now,” Jim whispered. Then he straightened his back, wearing his command as an armour. “Secure and search the place. I will coordinate the... ”

“No, you go to the sickbay for a checkup, Captain, ” Bones interrupted.

Jim was about to argue until Spock put a hand on his arm. “Captain, I will stay to coordinate the effort and report to you.”

Suddenly very tired, Jim forced a smile. “Thank you.”

He flipped open the communicator Bones gave him and said, “Two to beam up, Mr. Scott.”

* * *

 

Bones finally freed Jim after extensive check up, but still insisted on three days of Medical leave.

Jim would prefer to dive straight into his job, let the work wash away his memory in captivity, but Bones allowed no argument，so Jim devoured every pad and report he could find to get used to the ship's rhythm.

The ship felt too loud and crowded, and the crew stared at him as if he had returned from death, rushing to offer him their relief that he had returned.

Jim put on his best smile to put them at ease, but at the end of the hour he was exhausted from the comfort and smile he had to deliver for the crew’s sake.

“Captain, may I ask for your presence?”

Jim’s smile grew warm and grateful as the crowd around him dispersed at Spock's voice. “Of course, Mr. Spock. ”

At Spock's quarter, Jim leaned towards Spock, saying, “For once I thought I might never return. I even missed the food cubes.”

Jim intended it as half a joke to lighten the atmosphere, but Spock tensed up further. “I apology for the delay in the rescue.”

Jim sighed. “I’m not blaming you. Without you, I would still be imprisoned. Speaking of which, have you taken care of yourself since I was gone? ”

“Vulcans need less rest and food than humans.”

“This means no, doesn't it?” Jim said. “Never do this again. I don't want you to collapse for my sake. My life is not more important than yours”

“The regulation states that the crew should make the best effort to protect the captain.” Spock’s face was expressionless to outsiders, but his stiffened lips and tensed shoulders betrayed the words of feeling that he would never say aloud

Jim heard them as loud as a shout. He sighed, “I always demand the most of you, don’t I?” He caught Spock’s wrist and continued. “You saved me so we’re back at our home. It’s the right time for you to rest.”

Spock remained still but Jim waited patiently, letting Spock set his pace in the conversation. His effort was paid off as Spock replied, “While it is logical, I confess that I am reluctant to leave your company so soon.”

“I miss you too,” Jim said, warmth radiating through his body. “Would you like a game of chess? I’ll take white this time as I’ll need every advantage.”

Spock nodded and they set up the chessboard. Jim knew that they both needed time to recover from the ordeal, but they would leave the darkness behind together.


End file.
